Eye for an Eye (Take a Chance Book 2)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  I relax at ‘gorgeous’ rolling off his tongue, not detecting any regret his voice. I blink my eyelids open, lazily looking at him through tired eyes. He fucked me in every position he could last night, going fast and hard, slow and gentle.

  I’m sore in the best way, and I’m positive I’m sporting bruises on my breasts and hips. He’s good, I’ll give him that. Not one of my exes picked up that I got turned on when they paid special attention to my tits. I’ve picked arseholes, guaranteed, but with Wyatt, I feel like I have been with a real man, one who knows what he’s doing. He made sure I enjoyed myself as much as he did, and, in my experience, that is rare.

  “M-morning,” I croak out, before clearing my throat. “Morning.”

  He smirks, his hard chest pressing against me as he rolls me onto my back. “How do you feel about morning sex?”

  “You’re hard—again?” I ask in astonishment. According to my bedside clock that reads eleven, we have been asleep only four hours.

  He has stamina, I’ll give him that.

  “You make it sound like it’s impossible, but haven’t you realised yet that just having you naked next to me makes me hard.”

  “Do you not have to go check on Reid?” I ask, gasping when he starts peppering kisses down my neck.

  “Out of all my brothers, Reid will understand why I’m here and not there,” he teases, sucking my earlobe into his mouth.

  I giggle, swatting his arm. “Well, I guess we should end this with a great round of sex.”

  He freezes above me, wiping the hair away from my face. “What do you mean, end?”

  My brows pinch together. “Um—”

  His phone begins to ring on the floor, and instead of reaching for it he watches me a moment longer. I feel open, vulnerable, so I tilt my head in the direction of where his phone is blaring.

  “I’ll get that,” he murmurs, sliding off me. He leans over the bed, grabbing his jeans from the floor. “Hello? Mum? Calm down. I’m at— Yes. Yes, I understand.” He ends the call, throwing his phone on his jeans before turning back to me, his face losing a little colour.

  “Is everything okay?” I ask, pulling the bed cover up to blanket my naked chest.

  He groans, dropping his head on the pillow before lifting it to look at me, his expression apologetic. “I need to go. It’s Sunday, which means we have a late family breakfast. They’re waiting for me.”

  “That’s okay,” I assure him.

  “Why don’t you come?” he asks, jumping from the bed. His magnificent body is covered in tattoos. I didn’t get a good look at them last night—my mind was on other parts of his body—but they are beautiful.

  Speaking of other parts… he has the firmest, most round arse I’ve ever seen on a guy. I bite my bottom lip as he pulls his jeans up, covering himself. However, he’s still every woman’s fantasy. Shirtless, ripped muscles, tattoos on show and jeans undone, revealing a trail of hair that leads to his groin. He is sexy as fuck. I can’t pull my gaze away from the bulge in his jeans. I feel my skin heat, knowing exactly what he has under those jeans. He isn’t excessively large in that area, but he is far from small. It’s because he knows how to use it that has me feeling hot and bothered. I want him to do all the things he did to me last night and more.

  “You going to keep staring?” he teases, leaning over the bed, his fists pressing into the bedsheet beside me.

  I smirk, running my finger down his chest. “Maybe.”

  His grin falls, his face turning serious. “Come with me.”

  I sigh, sitting up. “I can’t. I have things to do today.”

  “What things?”

  I shrug, looking down at the blanket, picking at the fabric. “I need to go see my mum.” Or try. But I don’t tell him that.

  Just the reminder of everything puts a damper on my arousal. He knows about my mum. He brought her up last night, so I guess Paisley filled him in. It makes me wonder if he asked about me.

  “Okay. After work tomorrow, do you want to have dinner together?”

  I glance up, my lips parting. “You’re opening tomorrow?” I purposely don’t bring up the dinner comment. I assumed this would be a one-night thing, even if that pained me. I don’t want him to feel like he has to.

  He gives me a firm nod. “We can’t let him win. We’ve put everything into our businesses. It took Jaxon, then me, years to get it off the ground. The others put everything into it too. We can’t give up on it now, not when Mum gave up most of her livestock to make sure we had the time.”

  “Wyatt, there’s something—”

  “He’ll pay for what he did yesterday,” he grits out, interrupting me. “I plan to ruin everyone he holds dear.”

  My heart sinks, and I feel the blood drain from my face. He’s confirmed what I knew all along. If he finds out, he’ll hate me. It won’t matter that I loathe the man too. I know what it’s like to get past your anger for someone else. I felt it towards Mum each time he came back into our lives. I don’t think Wyatt would hurt me physically, but sometimes I’m conflicted when he holds such deep hatred and anger towards Andrew.

  “You should go before your mum comes looking for you,” I remind him, slipping out of bed and grabbing my dressing gown.

  Still unaware of the turmoil going on inside of me, Wyatt slides on his shirt, doing up the buttons. “You’re right. She’ll send a search party.”

  I force out a laugh, stiffening slightly when he strolls over to me. “So, dinner tomorrow night? After work?”

  “I have to—”

  He pulls me into his arms, his hands resting on my arse. “Say yes. I’m not leaving until you do.”

  I need him to leave. I need to get my head together. I’m so frightened of him finding out, yet I’m more frightened to say no and never feel this level of passion again.

  “Okay, I will.”

  He presses his lips against mine. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow.”

  I let him find his own way out. It won’t be hard in a flat as tiny as mine. I listen for the sound of the front door clicking shut before collapsing onto my bed, screaming into the blanket.

  Why, oh why, did I have to have Andrew as a father? All my life I’ve hated him and wished someone else was my dad. All my life. He took great joy in letting me know I wasn’t good enough to be his daughter.

  Then he forced me to do this. And I met a guy who I could really fall for, who I could trust. Now it’s just another thing being ripped away from me because of Andrew Black.

  Rebecca was right, I made the wrong choice in listening to Andrew to begin with. I need to explain that to the Hayes family, to Wyatt, and hope they can see I did it out of fear for my mother and not because I’m loyal to him.

  I just need to figure out when and how to tell them.

  *** *** ***

  They are still refusing to let me see my mum. The snotty-arse lady who stands behind the receptionist, her glasses perched on the end of her nose, looks down at me with distaste. I’ve met her a few times and she’s always worn the same outfit: a black suit with a white shirt and a red pin attached to her jacket. Mrs Ballenger, the manager here, as she introduced herself to me when we first met a while back, is in her late sixties. Her white hair is pulled in a tight knot at the back of her head and she wears a permanent scowl.

  “She’s my mother. You can’t stop me from seeing her,” I snap, my voice sharp.

  We have been doing the same dance for thirty minutes. Mrs Ballenger showed up fifteen minutes ago, making it known who was in charge. Or at least, who she assumed was. We both know my biological father is pulling her strings.

  “We’ve told you before, Miss Wilson, your father—”

  “He is not my father!” I growl, slamming my fists on the reception desk. “She’s my mother. I’m the one who has taken care of her. He hasn’t seen her in years, and any time he has in the past, he used her, like he uses everyone around him. Now let me see my fucking mother.”

  “As I w
as saying,” she continues, her voice hard. “Mr Black informed us of his concern that you’re causing your mother’s health to decline. She doesn’t know you.”

  “She has Alzheimer’s,” I bark, losing my temper. “She still has moments when she remembers.”

  “But she remembers Mr Black more and is quite happy when he comes to visit.”

  My blood boils with anger and I feel my face heat. Seeing they aren’t going to budge, I take matters into my own hands and snatch the badge from the receptionist’s chest.

  “Hey,” she yells.

  I ignore them calling for me as I rush to the door that leads to the main building. I’m going to see my mum whether they like it or not.

  “Call security to close the building,” Mrs Ballenger snaps.

  I reach the door and immediately slap the badge against the censor. It beeps, but when I push the door, it doesn’t budge.

  I turn, glaring at the old woman who has slowly walked up behind me yet is wise to keep her distance.

  “Open the door,” I demand, rattling the handle.

  “We can’t let you go through there. In this state, you will upset your mother.”

  “You’re keeping her prisoner here. I’ll report you!” I scream, tears streaming down my cheeks.

  “We most certainly are not,” she heatedly replies. “I can assure you, Mr Black presented us with the legal paperwork. We had our legal team verify them.”

  “He doesn’t know her. I do,” I scream in her face. “He doesn’t love her. I do! I love her. Me!” I slam my fist against my chest, feeling the world around me collapse. I need to see her, to check that she is really okay. I need the reminder of why I did what I did. Not to make me feel better, but to remind myself for when I tell Wyatt and his family the truth.

  “Shall I call security now, Mrs Ballenger?” the receptionist asks, her lip curling at me.

  “That won’t be necessary, Teresa,” a dark, looming voice rumbles.

  I spin around to face the main entrance before rushing over and stopping in front of the man out to destroy my life. “Tell them to let me see her.”

  “You knew the rules,” he reminds me, sounding patronizing. He glances over my shoulder, his expression not changing once. “You may go back to work, Mrs Ballenger. I will deal with Miss Wilson.”

  “Deal with me?” I hiss.

  “Very well. Have a good day, Mr Black.”

  He waits for her to leave before staring down at me, his pupils darkening. “Last night, my factory in Hoo Brooke was set alight.”

  I draw back, wondering what my mother has to do with that. “That’s nice, but I want to see my mum.”

  He grips my arm and I cry out in pain, too shocked to fight back when he begins to drag me outside. We hit the car park, and he shoves me against the wall at the side of the building, leaning into my face.

  “Don’t test me right now. Which one of those thugs burnt down my factory?”

  “What are you talking about?” I cry out, ignoring the pain of his fingers digging into my arms. “Wasn’t it you who set fire to the building they were in?” He narrows his gaze at me, but I don’t care. “You nearly killed them. That’s attempted murder. What would the police think of that?”

  He slaps me across the face, the ring on his finger catching the bottom of my lip. My breathing is heavy as I lick my bottom lip, tasting metal.

  Shivering, I wrap my arms around myself, shakily tilting my head to stare up at him. “Touch me again, and I’ll go to the police and make a complaint.”

  “You’re my daughter. There is nothing they can do.”

  “Yes, there is,” I growl, stepping back when he makes a sudden move.

  “No, they won’t. Because I’ll tell them you are suffering with the loss of your mum’s memory, that you were angry and blamed me for disowning you.”

  “You can’t do this,” I scream, wiping away my tears.

  He snorts, curling his lip at me. “Weak. Always weak.”

  “Fuck you!”

  “Now, who set fire to my building? I had valuable products inside that building that will cost me.”

  “That’s what insurance is for, and if you’re looking to blame the Hayes family, then stop. Reid was hurt during the fire,” I tell him, leaving out that he was stabbed. “They spent the rest of the night beside him.”

  “Not all of them,” he tells me cryptically.

  “No, I would assume Jaxon went home to his wife.”

  “And Wyatt went home with you,” he states.

  My stomach sinks and I stagger back, feeling the blood rush from my face. “How did you know that?”

  His smirk is smug, and I immediately want to slap it off his face. “I told you, I have your home watched. Now, I’m wondering if the man you are having sex with knows who you are.”

  “We didn’t have sex,” I lie. “I was drunk, and he took me home. Unlike you, he is a gentleman.”

  What I want to know is how he knew. I might have been drunk last night but I would have noticed someone hanging outside. Hell, most of my neighbours are nosey and part of the neighbourhood watch. They would have seen. There is no way he hired someone to watch me. No. He did something worse. He has cameras on me. I know it from the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  I don’t let him see my suspicion. If I’m right, I intend to find them when I get home. I will search high and low for them.

  “Do not patronize me. I suggest you give me useful information soon, otherwise I’ll be paying the Hayes a visit. After all, it would look suspicious if I turned up today. You wouldn’t want them to find out who you are, would you?”

  “I mean nothing to them. I’m just a receptionist, and let’s not forget you want me there,” I argue. “What you mean is you will do something else to destroy their business.”

  “Yes, precisely. They won’t get away with defying me. My men are having the destroyed building and offices swept. I want to know what was taken, and if I find out they’ve stolen from me, I will wreak havoc upon them.”

  “I’ve sent you enough. This has to end,” I tell him, flinching when he raises his hand and grips my cheeks.

  “No, it ends when I get what I want. And what I want are those shipment routes and their clients. I will get them. I just hit a snag when I found out it is all owned by the Hayes family. They don’t have investors, only contracts with firms that won’t work with our company. I want the information as to how. They live on a farm, for goodness sake. There is no way they have that kind of money to invest without illegal activity. To prove myself and make my company great again, I will do what it takes. Mark my words.”

  I scoff at his insinuation. “Believe it or not, they don’t deal in illegal activity. They are just that good at what they do. You should try taking a page out of their book. Or maybe you’re scared dear old Granddad will take it all away from you.”

  His grip tightens, and my nose stings when I fight back tears.

  “The company is mine.”

  “Until it’s not. I heard you. Your dad gave you a time limit to get the numbers up for the company. You haven’t,” I reply sharply. “What I didn’t get until now is why you were set on having the Hayes business when there are other companies in the area. You want something they have.”

  “You know nothing, Evelyn. Give me what I want, then all this can be over. I might even be generous and let them keep parts of their business.”

  “Go to hell,” I spit out.

  “I’ll even let you see your mother on Friday’s visit,” he tells me, ignoring my words.

  “Whatever,” I wheeze out.

  He lets me go, shoving my face away. “You have always been my greatest regret, Evelyn. Your mum was only ever a little bit of fun to me, and I never wanted you. I had my son,” he explains, scrunching his face up. “Don’t make me regret letting you do this for me.”

  I stare at his back as he walks away, and grip my thighs, my shoulders shaking as tears fall from my eyes.

&nb
sp; He’s not only a monster but fucking crazy. He made it sound like I’m only doing this to please him, forgetting that he’s forcing me.

  Shakily, I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Rebecca’s number. We have the information we need as to why he wants their company. Now I’m going to make sure he never gets his hands on it.

  But first, I have to deal with the cameras.

  CHAPTER TEN

  EVIE

  My eyelids still feel heavy from lack of sleep. I stayed the night at Rebecca’s and spent it tossing and turning on her sofa.

  After leaving the care home, I met her outside mine, and together we searched the entire flat. Not only did we find a camera outside my flat, hidden in the artificial plant hanging between mine and my neighbour’s door, but also one inside my living room, another in the hallway next to the front door, and one pointing towards my bedroom. I felt sickened, revolted that he could invade my privacy so easily.

  I destroyed them, shaking with rage as a ton of emotions ran through me. I knew he could be a monster but to stoop so low as to put cameras in my home was a new level, even for Andrew. I felt violated, to the point my skin crawled, and I couldn’t stay there. I just kept imagining him watching me and playing back every little thing I have done or said over the past few months, wondering what he could have seen or heard. Ten o’clock came and I couldn’t settle. I kept searching the light fixtures and the books on my shelves to make sure we hadn’t missed any. I still couldn’t be sure, which is when I called Rebecca and cried. She invited me to stay the night, which is where I ended up.

  Rebecca, however, knew a guy called Liam who had installed the security for her father’s golf club. She said she was going to get him to check the flat today whilst I was at work, and to fit in my own camera that no one would detect so we could keep an eye on people coming and going.

  The only saving grace was there wasn’t one in my bedroom—that we could find.

  It’s early, just gone six, and already I’m pulling into work. I don’t start until half eight, but I couldn’t sit around doing nothing. I need to take my mind off it and work is the best thing. At first, I wasn’t going to come in, but Rebecca reminded me that I couldn’t help them get rid of Andrew if I wasn’t in the office. If they suspect someone has leaked the information, I want to be there to explain. I need to find time away from the others so I can tell Wyatt first. He deserves that much.